Virtual Event Production Services: In-Person vs. Virtual Events

Whether the goal is to educate, debate, or celebrate, an event is a great way to bring people together for a shared purpose. Historically these have been done in person, but with the effects of the pandemic and the advancement of technology, virtual and hybrid events are becoming more and more common. Today, events can be:

• Live – All attendees are physically present in one location
• Virtual – People attend the event entirely online
• Hybrid – Some people attend in person, others online

It can be difficult to know which format is best for an event, but planners will typically take into account the event size, budget, timeline, and location of attendees. 

In-Person vs. Virtual Event Production

There are key similarities and key differences between in-person and virtual event production.

Key similarities include:

• Planning the event around specific business goals.
• Helping attendees connect and explore networking opportunities.
• Attendees desire to enjoy themselves throughout an event.

Key differences include: 

• No matter how well it is done, a virtual event will not feel the same as a live event.
• Attendee expectation typically goes up with live events due to the time commitment, buying plane tickets, shifting work schedules, staying in hotels, and paying top-dollar conference fees.
• Virtual events may require more breaks, shorter hours, and a clear focus to keep attendees engaged in the content when they are surrounded by distractions.
• Not everyone will be tuning in from the same time zone in a virtual event, so start times need to be planned carefully around attendees.
• Virtual events require more creative sponsorship showcasing. Instead of having a corner booth set up for a sponsor at an in-person event, this may involve including sponsor video intros, live chats, etc.

Ultimately, it is important to recognize that it is impossible to virtually recreate an exceptional live event. Virtual events require different solutions and production services to achieve success.

Pre-Recorded vs. Live Virtual Events

If a virtual event ends up being the right format for a company, their next step is to figure out if the virtual event will include pre-recorded content, live streaming, or a mixture of both. The event planner should take some time to explore the pros and cons of pre-recording, as well as live virtual content.

Advantages of pre-recorded content include:

• No surprises - Event planners will know exactly what the video will look like before it reaches the audience. 
• Customization opportunities - Pre-recorded content allows planners to spruce it up with cutaways, high-quality graphics, and lower thirds (name titles on the bottom of the screen).
• Speaker Q&A - Speakers can join a live chat to answer questions during the recording without being distracted in their presentation. 
• Speaker Availability - It’s easier to schedule and secure popular speakers if they can film their presentation at a time that is convenient for them. 

Disadvantages of pre-recorded content include: 

• Content may not be up-to-date. Things change quickly and airing a presentation that has been pre-recorded weeks or months before the event may mean that the information is outdated.
• Less interaction between the speaker and the audience. Attendees may feel that they are missing the chance to interact in real-time with the speaker.
• For ticketed events, attendees may not feel they are getting their money’s worth for pre-recorded content. 

Advantages of live virtual events include:

• Surprises - A livestream leaves room for anything to happen, which could bring a little bit of magic to the event. 
• Audience interaction - Many speakers prefer live events because they’re able to ask the audience questions and genuinely react to the answers.
• Saves time - Live events save the time involved in the pre-production and video review needed for pre-recorded content.
• The speaker and content are more authentic to the audience because they can interact with the speaker.

Disadvantages of live virtual events include: 

• Anything can go wrong - Doing things in real time brings about the possibility that things could go wrong from speaker videos not working, background noise interruption, internet connection issues, and more. 
• Live chat distractions - Speakers might get distracted by the live chat while trying to focus on their presentation.
• Less produced - It is difficult to make a live presentation look as produced as a pre-recorded presentation. 

Essential Virtual Event Production Services

Whether the event is completely in-person, virtual, or a hybrid with both in-person attendees and online attendees, it is likely to contain both pre-recorded and live elements. This requires careful planning, production, and support from an event production company.

Virtual event production services should be scalable and customizable to best fit a company’s specific needs.

Important services to look for from a virtual event producer include:

1. Comprehensive Planning

The virtual event producer should manage all key areas of an event including timelines, registration, virtual set design, analytics, platform selection, customization, interactivity features, and pre-event testing. Planning solutions should include:

• Tech Checks
• Stream Tests
• Technical Rehearsals
• Speaker Rehearsals

2. Robust and Secure Virtual Events Platforms

The virtual event production company should guide clients through options and the selection of virtual services. This may include live Q&A, polling, chat, gamification, announcements, and more. They can also ensure that content delivery networks offer the highest quality and lowest delay video and audio delivery.

A virtual event producer can also customize a broadcast package for each event to include only the virtual event services that will help meet event goals. 

3. Quality Production

Virtual event producers can help clients shape an event for optimal results with high-quality production services. They will be able to offer guidance on the right audio, video, lighting, and staging equipment.

4. Event Support

Having onsite and online support available can help give event planners peace of mind knowing that hosts, moderators, viewers, and speakers can access a live person for help at any point during the event.

It is clear that virtual events require different solutions than in-person events to achieve optimal success. The best way to ensure the success of a virtual event is to work with experts providing both in-person and virtual event production services. 

Corporate Events Inc. (CEI) offers a highly-experienced studio crew with the skills needed to put together complex AV events. CEI offers cutting-edge equipment and technology as well as state-of-the-art live-streaming studios that can run 24/7 across any time zone for global virtual events.
Contact CEI to start planning a virtual, hybrid, or in-person event today.